The Tragedy
by Violet Tan
Summary: After the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry returned to the Chamber of Secrets and found a portrait of Salazar Slytherin, one of the Hogwarts Founders, and started talking to him. Through Salazar's narration, he started to learn about things happened hundreds of years ago. And the truth was filled with mysteries, darkness, pain, and loss. (Rated T for implied violence and character deaths)
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue: The Dawn**

* * *

 **Disclaimers:** I do not own Harry Potter or anything J. K. Rowling wrote in the books. If you see anything from the books, it's a quote.

 **Warning:** According to what I wrote, Salazar Slytherin's past is a dark story without a happy ending. It's a tragedy, and I'm not lying. This short story contains character death. I added some original characters since the story happened in the Hogwarts Four era and there are few details about it in the Harry Potter books.

* * *

-o.O.o-

Harry James Potter was once again standing at the end of the long, dimly lit chamber, his emerald eyes reflecting the white light from the tip of his wand. He didn't know why he had returned here after the Battle of Hogwarts, nor did he know what he was trying so desperately to find out. A mysterious feeling had been haunting him since the day he had opened the Chamber of Secrets in his second school year at Hogwarts. And when he had learnt about Ron and Hermione's re-entrance with the purpose to acquire the Basilisk fang for destroying Voldemort's Horcrux, that feeling became even stronger. He knew that the huge Basilisk would not possibly be the only thing in Slytherin's chamber-although he had no idea what was making him believe in that. He could feel the desire to explore further in the Chamber once everything was settled down again, so here he was.

No doubt, re-entering the girls' lavatory had been an extremely awkward and weird experience. Harry had had to use his invisibility cloak in order to avoid other people's suspicious glances. The secret tunnel was dark and terrifying as he had remembered. He had lost his ability as a Parselmouth right after the fragment of Voldemort's soul had been taken from him, but that didn't stop him from mimicking that single word which could open the greenish door.

Once he was inside, he felt the whispering darkness and buried mysteries crawling around on the floor; he heard the sound of water dripping from the ceiling and saw the gloomy shadows covering everything. The fear was growing in his body and it made him uncomfortable, but his Gryffindor courage and curiosity finally overcame his common sense. He swallowed and decided to keep moving, his foot steps echoing on the stone cold floor and his robe rustling in the air. There was no other sound. The chamber was like a huge coffin and everything was in dead silence. His heart was pounding louder and louder, quicker and quicker as he approached the statue of Salazar Slytherin. He could tell in the dim light that the remains of the ancient Basilisk were still lying there. Looking around cautiously, he stepped forward and touched the statue-

Nothing happened. The stone was still hard, cold and a little rough under his fingers and he started searching for some secret entrance of a passage way. However, after a while he detected no change and he groaned in frustration. Sighing heavily, he stepped back, ready to leave after one final look…

It wasn't until his hands hit the floor hardly that he realized he had stepped into a small pool of water and had fallen down. Cursing silently, he looked up to see something with a silvery colour shinning softly on the stone surface which he had never noticed before. Curiously, he examined the pattern closely and found that its shape was like a snake. The excitement came and he couldn't help poking the pattern with his finger, then everything went black.

-o.O.o-

Harry found himself lying on the floor facing the ceiling, and he opened his eyes. The ceiling was not so high above and green candlesticks were burning on the wall. Sitting up and picking up his wand, he looked around. To his disappointment, it was just a perfectly normal room with a wooden desk, multiple shelves full of thick books, a dark-green armchair and a small bed. There were writing instruments and neat piles of parchment lying on the desk. The pieces of parchment looked ancient and the letters on them were written in a beautiful old-fashioned style. The room was very tidy and things were well-organized and Harry could tell that the owner had cast some spells on his furniture to prevent them from looking dusty. He decided that this chamber was definitely one of Salazar Slytherin's properties since most of the ornaments were either silver or dark-green. There was an obviously abandoned fireplace near the armchair and above the fireplace, a painting caught Harry's eyes.

It was a portrait of a young, dark-haired man. The man looked no more than thirty years old. He was gorgeous, and that wasn't enough to describe his striking appearance. Mysterious and charming were the first two words that popped up in Harry's mind after looking closely at the man in the painting. He was wearing a dark-green robe, his skin ivory-white and his black hair long and straight. Harry couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the signature on the bottom left corner because this man looked nothing like the monkey-like statue standing outside.

Okay, great. Taking a deep breath, Harry tried to calm down. He believed that he was the first one to discover this place in many years since if Tom Riddle had found his ancestor's portrait he would never have kept it a secret. He didn't know what he was supposed to be feeling right now. Should he be excited as if he had just won the lottery, or should he be afraid of what might happen to him after the wizard woke up?

 **He was facing the magical portrait of Salazar Slytherin, one of the most dangerous dark wizards in centuries, _"the greatest of the Hogwarts Four "._**

-o.O.o-

The young man in the portrait was obviously asleep, his eyes closed and his figure still. Staring at the painting with half-opened mouth after exploring the room, Harry wondered which version of artwork looked more similar to Salazar Slytherin's true self. The books were protected by some sort of charm so Harry had simply looked through the titles. Most of them were about spells that were considered dark magic, which wasn't really a surprise. Harry was even more eager to learn more about the founder of Slytherin House now and he wanted to know what exactly had happened in the past. There was a huge gap in the history record of the magical world during the time when Hogwarts was built and people could only guess what had happened through fragments of books, rumours without actual evidences and stories told by old wizards. Harry was proud of being a Gryffindor, which made him interested in knowing more about his House's founder. What had people been like back then before Hogwarts was constructed? Harry couldn't wait to find the answer.

He didn't like the House of Slytherin in particular since most of his enemies came from that house. However, that had nothing to do with his interest of knowing the stories from hundreds of years ago. While he longed for actually talking to Salazar Slytherin, waking a person from his sleep seemed very rude so Harry hesitated. He didn't expect the portrait to actually start talking anyway because he thought that the magical power on it must have vanished long ago.

The green flames on the candle sticks trembled and winked. The room was getting darker and darker as the magic power that provided the lighting was fading slowly. Harry drew out his wand without thinking twice and did what had come to his mind.

 _"Lumos."_

The white light began to grow. As soon as the spell was casted, he froze, hearing a sound that was not made by him…

The portrait was breathing. To be precise, the man in the portrait started breathing like some switch had been turned on and the time was flowing again. All of a sudden, the chamber was illuminated. The man began to move. Coughing, he slowly opened his eyes.

Harry was staring at the dark-haired wizard, amazed and shocked. Salazar Slytherin's eyes were red. They had the dark-red colour of the rose petals and were like the finest rubies. Salazar blinked, looking a little confused but conscious.

"Who are you?"

The voice was a little hoarse, but velvety and fascinating at the same time. Harry swallowed nervously before answering carefully.

"It's an honour to meet you, Professor Salazar Slytherin…" He said, his voice trembling, "My name is Harry Potter."

-o.O.o-

"So, my Chamber was finally opened, which means Hogwarts still exists," Salazar stared at Harry for a while after his brief explanation and made the conclusion, "And you are not even my heir… What a surprise."

Harry remained still, not sure about what to say, while Salazar continued to speak, "Before you start talking again - please don't tell me about today's magical world, Mister Potter. It doesn't matter to me because I am long dead and I don't belong to this era. The dead should remain in their times forever. Now, why did you come here and what is your purpose?"

"I am so curious about what happened when Hogwarts didn't even exist that I came here for the answers. Why was there a gap in the magical history that nothing was recorded in any books? How did the Founders of Hogwarts meet and what did they experience? I have to admit that before I got in this room I had thought that I would find some…" Harry blushed before finishing the sentence, "I'm sorry to intrude."

Salazar chuckled softly, "Find what, something more interesting than boring books and dull furniture? No, Mr. Potter, I didn't create this room for it to be found hundreds of years after my death. I created it as my study and one of my bedrooms and laboratories. I can tell you everything you want to know. I can tell you the story of my past and how Hogwarts was founded. However, you have to be very, very sure…"

"To be sure of what, Professor?"

Salazar's face darkened a bit and his expression hardened, his voice serious and cold, "You have to make sure that you really want to know the truth of everything. You have to make sure that you really want to hear the story from my perspective, because sometimes you regret hearing the truth, Mr. Potter… Sometimes the truth hurts, and you will hope that you never learnt about it."

Harry hesitated. Indeed, nobody knew who exactly had Salazar Slytherin been and no record had much information on the Slytherin family. And even the history books would lie and Harry was well aware of that. The history was written down by people, which meant it was not necessarily the truth. What had been the real reason for Salazar Slytherin to leave Hogwarts? What had happened to him afterwards and why nobody had seen him since then?

There must be secrets lying deeper in the past than Harry had thought. He knew there could have been more darkness, more mysteries, more truth and more lies. Looking into the founder of Slytherin House's eyes, Harry knew this could be his only chance of knowing everything and he finally made up his mind.

"I'm ready. Please tell me what had happened. Please tell me your story."

Salazar sighed heavily, "The Sorting Hat was right to put you into Gryffindor… You look like Godric right now, always impatient but brave and determined… Be prepared, for this will be a very long story to tell. You might not believe it after hearing everything, Harry Potter. You can choose to think of it as a made-up tale told by a lying man, and you can choose to forget what you hear and what you see in this Chamber and pretend that you have never been here. But also, you can choose to remember, and that will be the most painful way."

Harry nodded, listening carefully and sitting down in the armchair. Then Salazar began to recount his tale.

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **Hello everyone! This is my second time writing a fan fiction and sorry for my English. I'm a English learner and I'm not good at grammar. If anything confuses you when you read this chapter, please let me know. I know I'm bad at explaining things and sometimes my story doesn't make a lot of sense. Any way, this is the prologue and I hope you enjoyed reading! Please review and tell me what you think. : )**


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning: Death and dark stuff going on in this chapter. Spoilers alert.**

* * *

-o.O.o-

I was chained to the cross and couldn't move an inch. I saw the sword thrusting into my body with the sound of whispering wind; I saw the silver blade shining in the darkness and the ruby burning on the hilt; I saw my blood blooming in the air and dropping to the floor. The time seemed to stop at that second and everything was silent. And then there was the pain. It was tearing my heart apart and biting my nerves like a hungry beast. My vision began to blur and I heard that man talking, his words unclear.

"What a shame, Salazar Slytherin… Such a great and powerful wizard like you still can't escape the end of a mortal man. One's life is like a play, and your play is ending. It has been a tragedy, because you lost everything. You opened your heart to your friends and trusted them completely, so you were not invincible anymore. "

I knew what he said was the truth. I had lost all the things that had been important to me in my life. The stage curtains were going to close and the audience was already gone. I was the only actor left, and I was going to die.

 **I had lost.**

 **I had lost _everything_ , I had lost _everyone_.**

The darkness finally devoured the light, and I closed my eyes.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Sunrise**

-o.O.o-

 _The summer was coming, dancing enthusiastically._

 _And in a green meadow were two flowering trees._

 _Bathed in sunshine and showered in the rain,_

 _The trees grew together without even meeting._

* * *

-o.O.o-

I was born in a wealthy noble family. My parents were pure-blood wizard and witch pretending to be muggles, which was perfectly normal since the Knights were searching throughout the whole country and hunting down everyone considered a magician. They had the resource of what they called the "Holy Water", which had the effect to block a wizard or a witch's magical power temporarily. The Knights were led by the priests of churches and they called themselves Hunters. In their eyes, witches and wizards were only animals to be chased and preyed upon. They would kill anyone considered different or abnormal, thinking that their actions were justified. It was no wonder my family chose to live among the "normal" people. We concealed our identities, using our lands and titles as covers, and it was working perfectly until that day. On that day, a Priest from some nearby church along with nobles jealous of our estates were paying us a visit, and my seven-year-old younger brother Samuel's magical power just happened to awaken in his body. The nobles would never keep it a secret, obviously. It was such a great chance for them to ruin our reputation and cause further harm, which would benefit them greatly. The scandal made people gossip and spread out rumours, and of course, they would never stop until they found something more interesting to talk about. And one night – I was twelve at that time, after distracting my parents, all my family' enemies gathered together and they stormed our mansion. When my parents were back, our home was in flames with Samuel and several servants in it. I was coming home from the church at that time – it was everyone's obligation to go to church and people who didn't do that were the first ones exterminated by the Knights. I saw our house burning, the dark cold sky painted blood-red by the fire and I could hear everything screaming. My brother was killed, and almost all of our belongings were torn down and turned to ashes. I found Samuel's necklace, buried in black remains and broken. After that we started hiding. And since that day, nightmares had been hunting me. In those dark, terrifying and burning hallucinations, I saw my brother knocking the locked doors again and again desperately; I heard him screaming in the fire and crying out for help. The next morning I would wake up, sweating all over with tears on my face.

It was hard to hide from the Knights but we managed it eventually. Our other relatives were all living over seas so there was nowhere we could go for help or support. We had to start all over again with brand new names and fake identities, our properties lost and our titles forgotten. We were moving regularly since we couldn't stay in a town for too long and everything went from heaven to hell. We kept living like that until we found somewhere safe. That was a perfectly isolated location where nobody would even want to visit and my parents protected our house with all sorts of defensive spells they could think of. My mother had become paranoid and neurotic after my brother's death and my father extremely silent. I left home to survive on my own when I was seventeen, and I never went back there again. To be precise, it was not that I didn't want to go back, but my parents didn't really want to see me very much after I had turned seventeen. It was actually a family tradition which kept each generation of the Slytherin family independent and powerful. The world was big, but not so big for a suspected wizard. I wondered around in the countryside and finally got a job, which I lost soon after the rumours of my family had finally reached that town. I tried hard to avoid people, but there were still many things to do that involved talking to muggles, and I was nearly caught by a Knight after two years.

I was walking through a muggle marketplace and the boisterous crowds, wearing a long, dark robe with a hood which covered part of my face. The hunting was getting more and more frequent and I could spot at least five Knights walking around in their silver armours with swords hanging from their waists. Dark hair and red eyes had become the signature appearance of my family, and the Holy Water could wash away any sort of magical disguise. Unfortunately, I was noticed while turning into a corner and a Knight yelled and stopped me. He was about to use Holy Water on me when another man dressed in armour appeared.

"Hey Thomas, How's it going? By the way, do you know where Berry is? I haven't seen him today and I've been looking for him. Are you guys coming to the party or not?" The stranger put his hand casually on my shoulder, and I winced a little at first but quickly stood still. He winked at me, smiling, and I immediately played along and continued the conversation.

Then that man spent two minutes convincing the Knight that I was actually a friend of some other Knights. According to him, I had some kind of skin allergy and couldn't stand bright sunlight and that was why I wore a black hood. That reason sounded kind of stupid and not very convincing to me, but the Knight seemed to believe in that and left without further comments. That man who helped me was blond and young with dark-green eyes, and that was when I met Godric Gryffindor.

"Why did you help me ?" I asked, not knowing his identity. Usually I didn't like long conversations, but if he hadn't appeared, I would have had to use my magical power and that would probably draw people's attention and made myself a target. That was why I chose to be grateful and polite.

"Oh, don't worry, my armour is just a disguise like your black hood," He smiled, "You must be from that infamous Slytherin family they were talking about. It's all right, my family's reputation is not any better anyway."

I gave him a confused look, raising my eye brow, and he chuckled, "My name is Godric Gryffindor. Come on, you must have heard of the Gryffindors. We were one of the most famous Knight families before they found out that my mother was a witch and accused her of witchcraft. Luckily we disappeared as quickly as we could after that and I was able to become a Knight using a weird name without being suspicious…" He seemed to remember something and he stopped smiling, "I'm terribly sorry about what your family has gone through."

Then we talked, walking on the narrow pathway shoulder to shoulder towards the countryside. Godric proved his ability as a wizard, and I slowly began to relax. He seemed to have a special talent at making people feel safe around him and I even told him my real name – It was reasonable because if he had meant me harm, he would not have stopped that Knight in the first place. And since he actually knew my surname, lies were not necessary anymore.

"You can call me Salazar," I said, still a little bit wary but not so nervous, "By the way, Thomas? Really? I was so shocked that he actually bought everything you said."

"A pleasure to meet you, Salazar," He beamed, green eyes shining in the sunlight, "As for that poor fellow, I guess he was simply charmed by my perfect smile... Haha. Just kidding, never mind. By the way, do you want to go on adventures with me? I'm also travelling alone and it would be great having company."

I never was very adventurous. I preferred staying in one place and resting rather than moving constantly - I had had enough of moving and running for a lifetime by then. Also, I wasn't nearly as curious as Godric when it came to new things. But I had gotten tired of hiding and I was desperate for some changes. So I agreed without thinking much about it and that was where everything started. That was the time when the prologue ended in the play, and Act One was yet to come.

* * *

-o.O.o-

 _The summer was coming, dancing enthusiastically._

 _And in a green meadow were two flowering trees._

 _Bathed in sunshine and showered in the rain,_

 _The trees grew together without even meeting._

 _Storms made them turn, encountering accidentally,_

 _And their branches tangled together in strong breeze._

 _When the morning sun rose and eased the pain,_

 _The trees grew together and started flourishing._

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **The story is mainly written as a first-person narrative. And for those who are confused by the first part of this chapter, start reading from Chapter 1 and just ignore everything above. That will be explained later in the story. The poem in the story is my writing and I'm not exactly a poet so please don't judge. I hope you enjoyed reading and please review to let me know what you think of this chapter. If it's too bad I can always edit it to make it better. Thank you : )**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2: The Morning**

-o.O.o-

 _The autumn was coming, singing songs delightedly,_

 _And in the yellow meadow were four abundant trees._

 _Days after days farmers were collecting their grain,_

 _The trees grew together, their ripe fruits dropping._

* * *

-o.O.o-

Travelling with Godric Gryffindor made me happy. I didn't really understand the reason, but his charm shone like sunshine and I was affected greatly. I had always been alone before meeting him – hiding from everyone, moving from one place to another and living with my cantankerous, anxious mother and serious father. He was the same age as me and he knew so many different and interesting things that I had never noticed. Godric was humorous, friendly and very talkative, while I was always the one listening to his never-ending stories and occasionally interrupting him with sarcastic comments. We would walk together in the day and rest at night. When the yawning sun went down from the sky towards its vast cot, we would find some place in the nearby town to stay or simply light a campfire, sitting side by side with our face painted orange by the flames. There were so many exotic places to visit, so many astonishingly beautiful things to see and so many interesting events to be experienced. And I actually enjoyed myself going on those adventures with my first true friend, though I did never admit it at that time.

We met Rowena Ravenclaw and then Helga Hufflepuff later in our journey. When we encountered Rowena, she had been busy running from her fiancé because she decided that she loved her books better than him. We helped her to avoid that enraged and greatly offended man who was obviously very bad-tempered, and our aid was indeed very appreciated. Rowena joined us quickly afterwards since she didn't have anywhere else to go. A run-away fiancée! What a shame, such an intelligent and fair young lady was condemned only for being rebellious just once when choosing not to marry the man assigned by others who would have been with her for the rest of her life. She was tall and slim with long brown hair gracefully tied up and her eyes were blue like the sapphires found in the most elegant inlaid jewelry. She too had a charisma, but differed from Godric, it came from her calmness and wisdom. Soon after, we fought off several Knights and rescued Helga on our way. She had done nothing but owning a garden and growing some plants that had healing effects in it, and she was reported by her neighbours and suspected of being a witch by the Knights – well, she was actually a witch so I couldn't say that they were wrong. But muggle women could grow plants too and they might not be as lucky as Helga. They were usually sentenced to death for doing that, which I never understood and considered simple madness. Helga was always interested in all kinds of herbs, which was a great hobby in my opinion but a little bit boring in Godric's. She had beautiful black eyes and curly red hair and she looked trust-worthy, kind and honest, especially when she smiled. And indeed she had all the virtues I had stated. She became a wonderful companion for us and made friends with Rowena. The ladies were very close just like Godric and I.

-o.O.o-

We kept travelling for quite a long time, getting to know each other better and better on the way. And we discussed about the same power within us – magic. We started to invent our own spells and Rowena provided us with many unpublished books found in her family's secret library. Gradually we learned to control our power perfectly and made use of them instead of ignoring our strengths. Then one day Godric came up with a wonderful plan, which surprised the three of us because Godric had never been the thinking type.

"Hey, Sal, Rowena and Helga, I think I have a brilliant idea!" He shouted enthusiastically when we were walking in a forest, "Let's build a magical school!"

The suggestion was quickly approved, which made Godric even more excited, "We can create a safe place for all the young wizards needing protection from the Knights and the churches, we can build a castle where they will be able to grow up safely and learn the skills necessary for their survivals. And we can teach them magic! By giving them our knowledge, we would let them think and develop their powers. What's more, maybe our school would last for hundreds of years. And when the churches and Knights stop chasing wizards and hunting them down, when all people with magical power can live in peace and safety, it would still be their home."

His speech got all of us thrilled and we thought "why not?". It sounded like an excellent plan and we started working right away. It wasn't easy to build a school, especially a magical one. We spent five months finding an appropriate place and another five month getting everything ready. Setting up all kinds of protective charms and building the castle by stones took even longer. It was after two years when we finished constructing a school big enough for about one hundred students without many classrooms. I didn't think we could find so many students and even if we did, few would agree to come to our school. But we were off to a satisfying start and everything was going well.

When we were facing the castle together after finishing our work, standing on the meadow in front of the Iron Gate, we were extremely weary but pleased at the same time. The morning sun was shining brightly on the grey stones, giving them a golden glossy coating and decorating our victory. The mixed feeling in our hearts couldn't possibly be described by words since no words would be powerful and emotional enough.

We named our school Hogwarts. "H" and "a" from Helga, "g" and "o" from Godric, "r" and "w" from Rowena and "s" from Salazar. As for the "t", we simply put it there because the name Hogwarts worked and it actually sounded like a proper word. Godric argued passionately that the "t" was from my surname Slytherin, but I didn't really care.

-o.O.o-

After building a school and naming it using a word made up by letters from our own names, the next step was recruiting students. It was even more difficult than we thought since there were obstacles everywhere. We split up to hand out the acceptance letters ourselves since we didn't know whom else to trust. When we were doing that, we helped and saved many people hunted by the Knights – there were real wizards among them, but most of them were innocent muggles who were just a little bit odd in other people's eyes. Old widows or unmarried women, maidens just happened to be interested in herbs like Helga, women who kept cats as pets and men making their livings by playing tricks were chased and killed every day for absolutely no reason. They were charged as witches or wizards and couldn't even get the chance of going through a trial, which would probably not help a lot anyway; They were persecuted, oppressed and condemned for nothing, their lives ruined and their homes destroyed. I saw those things happening every day with my own eyes, and I remembered Samuel. I remembered my younger brother who had been killed in that burning house, only seven years old, for something he had not chosen to have and had not been able to control.

People hated magic. They hated the unknown power because it was so strong that it had a huge impact on their mundane lives, and they were scared. Magic made them feel suspicious about what they saw and what they heard, therefore they couldn't believe their senses anymore and the suspicions brought fear.

 **They feared the unknown.**

But if human beings had always been afraid of things they could not understand and changes they could not deal with, we would never have developed. We would have been primitives forever, not progressing while everything else was changing and growing.

 **The fear of the unknown was _understandable_ , yet so _ridiculous_ at the same time.**

-o.O.o-

When I was on my way back to Hogwarts castle, I saw two boys beaten up by a group of mobs in a dark corner of a narrow alley.

I was never the kind-hearted and just type of person like Helga or Godric, and I was running out of time, so I hesitated. But when I walked to them and looked at them closely, I knew I had to help them. They were both blond and their appearances were similar, and I realized that they were probably relatives. I saw the taller boy standing up every time after getting hit and trying to protect the younger boy. I saw the resolution in his blue eyes, and I sensed the magical shield he managed to put up without noticing it himself, knowing that he would keep that boy safe at all costs. And I couldn't hold it back anymore. I had not been able to protect Samuel, but I could protect them, so I did. I controlled the violent men and made them go somewhere else fighting with each other. I liked to use my magic that way and that was one of my favourite spells, effective, practical and easy to use at the same time.

The boys watched in confusion when their attackers simply walked away without saying anything. Then they were leaning on the wall, panting and groaning in pain. My healing charm worked, and they stared at me, eyes widened in shock. I cleared my throat and introduced myself, "Umm… Hello. I am a teacher from a magical school called Hogwarts, which is built for young wizards like you."

"Magical school? Wizards?" The older boy eyed me suspiciously, "Thank you for helping us… But what are you talking about? And what do you want from us?"

I sighed heavily. Okay, now that was difficult to explain. I had never been good at dealing with kids, especially stubborn ones, since I needed to try very hard not to say something mean and sarcastic during my explanations and I would be impatient pretty quickly… But I would try.

-o.O.o-

The boys were indeed relatives. Actually, they were twin brothers and their names were Alston and Albert Malfoy. They agreed to go to Hogwarts after my explanation and started following me around everywhere. It bothered me a lot at first, but I learnt to ignore them. I got another new student for the school on my way and he was a eleven-year-old boy named Vincent Prince. They were my first students, and I was obviously not experienced as a Professor. However, none of them complained about my teaching style and it was a relief to me. Godric, Rowena and Helga also found their students, and we started our first lessons. Everything was going perfectly well like a dream. And I was just hoping that it would never change.

 **But the more beautiful the dream was, the more painful the nightmare would be. Every dream had an ending, and everyone had to wake up.**

* * *

-o.O.o-

 _The autumn was coming, singing songs delightedly,_

 _And in the yellow meadow were four abundant trees._

 _Days after days farmers were collecting their grain,_

 _The trees grew together, their ripe fruits dropping._

 _Their seeds rested in the soil, sleeping soundly,_

 _And in the next spring they would grow with ease._

 _But the winter would come with his self-centred vain,_

 _The trees grew together, beginning their preparing._

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **So, here is the new chapter. I hope you like the way I'm describing the Hogwarts' Founders. The story is not so dark so far but it's getting there. Thank you for reading. Again, please review to let me know how I am doing here, because sometimes I can't really find the problems myself. Your reviews will be very appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Warning: Really dark things going on in this chapter. There is an implied boy/boy pairing between original characters, but nothing will happen.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: The Noon**

* * *

-o.O.o-

 _The spring was coming, waking and smiling joyfully,_

 _And in a green meadow were four blooming trees._

 _In their shadows were the seeds ready and fain,_

 _The trees grew together, their children sprouting._

* * *

-o.O.o-

Hogwarts was officially opened – well, by "officially", I meant according to Godric. The first ten students were already enough to get everyone busy. At first we tried to teach them together since ten people could not even make a big class. And each one of us was in charge of one particular subject. However, things didn't work out very well and students were having a hard time getting along with each other. After a while, Rowena discovered that our students' different personalities, preferences and strengths were the main reason of our failure. She suggested that we separate the students into different groups according to their personalities, and we could each teach two or three students privately. We agreed with her and decided that it would be the best way to make more teaching progress and have efficient lessons. Moreover, that would make the work easier for all of us. For sorting all the students, Godric took off his wizard hat and Helga helped me to charm it with proper spells. We discussed about what type of students we wanted, and then managed to put our expectations of students into the Sorting Hat - Godric had tried to give the hat a ridiculous feminine name but we had been snorting at him until he changed his mind.

"Hmm… My students should not be afraid of any challenges or difficulties in life. I would like them to be brave, energetic and just, with adventurous and curious hearts. They always need to have the resolution to do the right things and to help defending the weak. They need to be ready to fight for justice at any time," declaimed Godric, drawing out his sword and pointing it at the sky.

"Well, my students should be longing for the never-ending knowledge. I would like them to be eager, excited and motivated to learn new things, with commendable intelligence and wisdom. Also, they should have the ability to calm down and think clearly in any kinds of perils. They should be able to realize that their brains are meant to be used, and their talents should not be wasted." Rowena stated, looking serious.

"Then my students should have great tolerance and generosity. I would like them to be caring and honest, with pure and beautiful souls," Helga decided, beaming, "But I wouldn't mind accepting any other students as long as they have kind hearts and are willing to be caring and friendly. They don't need to be super smart or strong, they only need to be themselves."

"And my students should be loyal and honest to their families and true friends. I would like them to be ambitious, wanting to risk anything and use any means to achieve their goals. They don't necessarily have to care about moralities, since their most important goal is to survive in this world and protect themselves." I said, ignoring Godric's you-don't-really-mean-that face.

Sometimes bravery was equal to stupidity - no offence to Godric. And in my opinion, surviving as a so-called coward or villain was a thousand times better than dying as a so-called soldier or hero. If one needed to be sly and cunning to protect the important people in one's life, so be it. If one needed to do some "evil" deeds to defend oneself… Well, moralities mattered, but how much they mattered depended on the circumstances.

* * *

-o.O.o-

It was the darkest of times. The world was built by blood and madness. The Knights from the churches enjoyed hunting wizards and witches; they enjoyed being wild animals, being predators, chasing their preys down and tearing them apart to pieces; they enjoyed the excitement of violence and insanity. The Knights would kill a person who possessed magical power without any hesitation, ignoring the fact that some of the priests and Knights were wizards themselves. Children with magic in their blood who were born in Knights' families were considered to own a "divine power". And the power was supposed to be used to kill the heretics, or the wizards or witches. How stupid and absurd it was! People born with the same kind of power were killing each other for no reason and they didn't even to think for a second about why they were doing it. The darkness and fear brought by the Knights were planted in people's hearts. If a member of a family was suspected of owning magical power, the whole family would possibly be sent on trial, or more likely be executed right at that spot.

I heard about what the Knights did to wizards and witches. They would tie the suspected or reported women's hands and feet together with heavy stones, and then push them into a deep river to see if they were witches or not, for witches would not drown. Hell, of course they drowned. For most of them they were innocent muggles or witches who didn't even know about their power and had no idea how to use it. Of course they drowned, suffocated to death, for they had not been guilty in the first place. And even if some of them survived the water, their identities would then be "confirmed", and they would be chained to the cross and burnt to death. As for men suspected of being wizards, they were usually hanged or killed by swords, which seemed actually more merciful than the terrible and painful deaths of women. Of course all of them were killed, because it was such a ridiculous time, because almost everyone was blind.

We were not fighting against muggles – it was not even a war between magical and non-magical human beings. The second I saw the Holy Water used by the Knights, I understood. There was no such thing as "water given by God", it must have been a kind of potion that had the effect of draining magical power. We were not only fighting against muggle churches. We had also been fighting with wizards all along. And I couldn't find a reason or purpose for them to start the war. Maybe it was a time of madness, and people simply went insane.

* * *

-o.O.o-

"I have a younger brother too, and a little sister. Except that they are not like me. I'm a wizard, but they've never shown any kind of magic abilities. I left home to protect them and made them think that I would not survive. As long as they pretend that I don't exist and are able to convince other people, they will be safe." Vincent Prince said softly, looking into Alston Malfoy's blue eyes.

The Sorting had been successful, and luckily, I got to keep the Malfoy brothers and Vincent as my students. One day after school I was wondering to my office when I heard Alston and Vincent talking, and I stopped to listen, not wanting to walk towards them and ruin their conversation. They were standing at the door to my office with their Potions textbooks in their hands, talking with each other casually.

"I understand what made you leave your home – if I were you I would surely have done the same thing." Alston commented, "For Albert and me, life had been difficult. Our parents had been taken away from us one day and we managed to escape. All we had was each other and we ran and ran. Just like you, I will do anything that has to be done to protect my brother."

Vincent stared at Alston for a while, seeming to be thinking about something, and then he smiled, "You know what, Alston, I think we are more similar to each other than I thought. Our lives were not so easy, but we don't need to run anymore."

"No, we don't need to run anymore." The blond repeated softly, and beamed.

I stepped out of the shadow and greeted them since it seemed that they had finished their conversation. I wondered since when had Alston and Vincent become so close, but didn't pay much attention to that.

* * *

-o.O.o-

Summer was coming, and everything was settled down at Hogwarts. Godric, Rowena, Helga and I were not so busy anymore, which meant that we had more leisure time to spend with each other.

It was noon on a normal hot July day, and the sun was projecting pieces of shadows on the white pages of the book in my hand, shining brightly on the leaves of that oak tree growing near the lake. Warm breeze blew softly and everything was so peaceful and also vibrant. I was giving myself a rest, reading my favourite book after lunch and sitting with my back against the tree when Godric called out to me.

"Hey, Sal!" He walked towards me, grinning, "It's such a nice day, and you are reading? Come on! Stop burying your nose in books like some orthographer. You are not Rowena's relative, mate. Let's go and have some fun!"

I ignored him, but Godric Gryffindor never gave up easily, "Oh, come on! Please, Sal; let's go there to meet up with Rowena and Helga. They will definitely be mad at me if I failed to convince you to join us… Look!"

I looked up to see Rowena and Helga waving at us with picnic baskets in their hands, and Godric started to pull me up. Sighing heavily, I protested in my usual sarcastic tone, "Godric Gryffindor, watch your manners, put your hands down and prove to me that you are not all muscles by thinking twice before disturbing me again!"

"Sure, I will try next time,"Godric had been used to my language style long ago and therefore wasn't offended at all, finally getting me on my feet successfully, "But for now, let's enjoy ourselves when we still can!"

If I had known what would happen afterwards, I would surely have tried harder to enjoy every day. For Godric was right. A peaceful and beautiful day was the most precious thing we could have during a long and dark war.

* * *

-o.O.o-

Alston and Vincent were becoming closer and closer. They could debate passionately for three hours non-stop together in a lesson, and they spent more and more time with each other. Alston's sensitive brother Albert had noticed that even before I did. I found out that their relationship was getting more complicated than pure friendship, but didn't do anything about it because I didn't see the need to stop them from interacting with each other.

And someday, Alston Malfoy knocked on my door. He then asked me a question that I would never forget – and I never did.

* * *

-o.O.o-

 _The spring was coming, waking and smiling joyfully,_

 _And in a green meadow were four blooming trees._

 _In their shadows were the seeds ready and fain,_

 _The trees grew together, their children sprouting._

 _The small trees were beaming, thriving vigorously,_

 _And the four trees protected them from the disease._

 _Dark clouds were gathering and they loved to feign._

 _The trees grew together ere the tempest was raging._

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **I thought it would be nice to have some romance in the story to make it not so boring, but since I didn't want to put Salazar Slytherin in a pairing I did it to the original characters. If you can't stand boy and boy pairing, I'm sorry. But don't worry, just like in my other story, nothing will happen except for kissing, hugging and holding hands. The storyline is obviously getting darker and the poems that always appear in every chapter actually matter a lot. Thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Please review and tell me if you like it or not. XDDD**


	5. Chapter 5

**Warning:** Character death, violence, darkness. REALLY DARK STUFF going on. Also, Salazar Slytherin is definitely NOT a hero in my story. He makes mistakes, and he has the dark parts of his personalities. I think complicated characters are way more interesting than flat protagonists. That's why Salazar in this fiction is not really a very good and perfect man.

* * *

 **Chapter 4: The Afternoon**

-o.O.o-

 _The storm was howling, snarling and crying furiously,_

 _And in the dark meadow were several small trees._

 _One tree drained nutrition from another one's vein,_

 _The trees grew together and a young life was dying._

* * *

-o.O.o-

Dealing with muggle-born students was a **huge** problem.

After becoming the first head teachers of the four Houses named after us, we tried to accept as many little wizards and witches as we can, including muggle-born students, of course. However, recruiting them caused us a lot of troubles. In summary, parents didn't want to admit that their children were abnormal, or kids didn't want to admit that they were different from others. For example, a student called Charles Wright from a muggle family came to Hogwarts unwillingly, glaring at his wand and not wanting to believe that he was "a freak". Godric was always so patient with that kind of students, spending a long time trying to convince them and giving them suggestions all the time, but I was not. My brother had been killed by muggles, and he had lost the opportunity to get protected, forever. Those students didn't seem to want our protection, then why should we give it to them? Why my brother had had to die simply because his power had awakened, while they could live, ungrateful, complaining about their magical talents and refusing our help? I was angry. Though I knew it wasn't fair for them, it wasn't fair for me, either. This was what the time we lived in was all about. The world wasn't fair for anyone, muggles or wizards alike.

I was cold and distant towards the muggle-born students who showed no interest in learning magic or staying at Hogwarts, and I had a reason to be. Some of them even showed their contempt of magic outwardly and they were so disgusted to be recognized as wizards or witches, which really annoyed me. I started talking with Godric about those students, and we could never reach an agreement.

"Sal, they have magical power, too, and they deserve to be protected and educated! I understand your feelings; of course I hate the Knights and some muggles too. But that has nothing to do with these students. They couldn't help growing up in families that hate magic and it's normal for them to not like it and not want to study about it…"

"You are not making any sense, Godric! I don't like them, not for their families – I have some muggle-born students whom I admire very much too. I don't like them for their attitudes! I don't understand. If they choose to give up their rights to be protected and educated, why should we give them what they don't even want to have? If they want to leave so desperately, why can't we just let them leave? I will not spend my time teaching students who don't even want to be taught! If they don't want to admit that they are wizards and witches, why should we admit their identities? They want to go back to their Knights and get killed, so let them go and I won't give a damn about it! _There are people who want to have the opportunity and safety but can never get what they deserve to have._ And since these students hate their opportunities so much, they don't deserve to have them anymore! Just let them die if they want to – I don't care!"

"Salazar Slytherin! I feel like I have never known you before. I didn't know that you are such a cruel and cold-hearted bastard!"

That was the first time I argued with Godric Gryffindor. And that was the first time I got so furious at him, and he me. I saw the coldness and rage in his green eyes, and I saw them reflecting my own anger. Rowena and Helga chose to keep silent and they didn't want to interfere. Perhaps they thought that it was nothing serious and we would make up with each other quite soon. The fact was we didn't, and we never really did. From that day, there was always a wall between Godric and me, built by suspicions, misunderstandings, lies and mistrust. People could not simply forget about the past. Sometimes you would think that an apology could fix everything. But no matter how quickly the wound healed, there would always be a scar left on the skin, and it would never really disappear.

* * *

-o.O.o-

The first group of muggle-born students came to Hogwarts. They were isolated by other students because most of them were actually from some Knights' families. Their parents had died or had gone to hunt wizards and witches, and they only came here because they had nowhere else to go. Many students in Hogwarts had lost their families because of the Knights, so they couldn't help being cold and distant to the muggle-born students. Even though they knew it was not the children's fault, they couldn't stand taking classes with the sons and daughters of people who had murdered their relatives. After finding out about this situation, I tried to make them friendlier towards the new students – although I despised some of the muggle-born students, too. I didn't want them at Hogwarts, I didn't welcome them at all, but since they had come to our school anyway, it seemed more reasonable to get along with them instead of cursing them. This kind of conflict was not good for all the students' health and growth, mentally or physically. I tried to solve the problem, and I failed. And after a terrible incident, I would always be blaming my self for not trying harder at that time.

That day, one of my students, Cody Grey, got into a fight with that boy called Charles Wright. _When I got there, it was already too late._ Cody was lying on the floor, unmoving and not breathing. His body covered with crimson blood, his eyes opened in shock and his chest pricked by a dagger. _When I got there, it had already happened._

 **He was lying there, dead.** My student was lying there, brutally murdered. And Charles Wright was standing beside Cody's body with an insane smile on his face. His eyes looked like the eyes of a hungry wild beast, and his hands stained with my student's blood. And the time seemed to stop. I didn't even know what I was doing, but instead of getting mad, I went perfectly still. One of the children I had been protecting and teaching was dead in the school, his body lying in front of me. He was only fourteen.

And then I simply lost it. If Rowena and Godric were not there to stop me, I wasn't even sure what I would have done. I only knew that I was running towards Charles Wright, snarling like a wolf with murderous thoughts. After that, I only learnt about what had happened from some students who had seen part of that terrible crime. Shocked and terrified, they told me in trembling voices about what they had heard and had witnessed.

"I h-heard them a-arguing about something. They were quite angry at each other, I think. Cody was blaming Wright for s-something. Cody's mother was killed by a Knight and he t-told me that he suspected that Knight had b-been Wright's father. And then Wright started s-screaming something like 'What's wrong with that? You are all evil and my father was doing justice! I'm done with being looked at like a killer! If you all think I'm a killer then I'll become one!' They s-started fighting with each other, and I saw Wright taking out a knife. He…he thrust the knife into Cody's chest and Cody looked so… so… It happened so sudden and fast and there was s-so much blood…"

Their testimonies were enough. I had to give the students some potions to make them feel better. It was such a terrible incident and it sent shock-waves throughout the school. Cody Grey had had no family left. We held a proper funeral for him, but we wasn't even able to close the school for a while since the world outside was so unsafe. Instead of giving Charles Wright further punishments, Godric, Rowena and Helga decided to erase his memory and send him back to where he had lived. They didn't ask me for my opinion because they were afraid that I would do something terrible to that fifteen-year-old murderer. And they were right to be afraid since I did for once want to make him suffer what he had made my student suffered. They were trying to tell me that it wasn't entirely Charles Wright's fault, that all of us should have tried harder to prevent this crime from happening. Maybe they were right, but I was in such pain and guilt that I didn't even pay any attention.

"Charles Wright is just a kid, he didn't know what he was doing. He is greatly influenced by his family, which isn't his fault. And he is not accepted in our school…" They said.

Maybe they were right, maybe Charles Wright was also a victim as Cody had been. But what about Cody? He had been a kid too and he had been killed. Maybe they were right, but all I could think of at that time was that Charles Wright had murdered my student. And if we had not accepted any muggle-born students in the first place, this would never have happened. _Cody Grey would have become a brilliant young wizard, humorous, honest, happy, and **ALIVE**._

I tried to accept them; I tried to accept everyone and everything. But it cost too much and I had paid the price. The pain, the violence, the prejudice, the isolation and the death… I couldn't stop asking myself one question, though I knew it was meaningless now: If we had done something different, what kind of life would Cody Grey have had? I didn't want this kind of tragedy to happen again, I couldn't afford that to happen again, ever.

 **"I am Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And here do I solemnly swear, that the House of Slytherin will never accept any muggle-born students again."**

* * *

-o.O.o-

 _The storm was howling, snarling and crying furiously,_

 _And in the dark meadow were several small trees._

 _One tree drained nutrition from another one's vein,_

 _The trees grew together and a young life was dying._

 _The clouds were whispering, darkening rapidly,_

 _And the blood-red gale made the trees wheeze._

 _One burst of wind broke the small trunk in twain,_

 _The trees grew together, sadly they were mourning._

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **Okay, so this is the new chapter and I do hope that you're not feeling very bad after reading it. If you think this is too dark for you, please stop reading right here because the story will only get darker. This is a story about humanity, pain, loss, violence, tragedies, love and death. I'm not sure if I'm trying to prove a point in this chapter, but I think I do have some messages in it. Anyway, please review and tell me about your opinions on this chapter and your reviews will be greatly appreciated.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Warnings:** character death. NO HAPPY ENDING. Boy and boy paring of original characters containing kissing but nothing else. And Salazar Slytherin is not a hero or a saint. He is one of the most dangerous dark wizards ever; of course he is not a saint.

* * *

 **Chapter 5: The Sunset**

* * *

-o.O.o-

 _The winter was coming, sighing and snowing heavily,_

 _And in the white meadow were four living trees._

 _They stretched out their arms under the mighty strain,_

 _The trees grew together, fighting and protecting._

* * *

-o.O.o-

One day, the blond boy with blue eyes was standing at my door, looking a little confused and hesitant. I could tell that he was troubled by something, so I asked him what that was. Instead of giving me an answer, he asked a question in an unsure voice.

"Professor Slytherin, _is love a weakness_?"

I stared at him, surprised, not knowing the reason for him to ask that kind of question. And then I thought about Vincent Prince, I recalled seeing them talking with and smiling at each other, I remembered Albert's reactions, and I understood everything.

"Falling in love with a person could be the best thing in the world for you, but it could also be the worst thing ever happened. And yes, love could be a deadly weakness, but it could also be the greatest strength. Alston, remember one thing… Everyone is born with the right to love and to be loved, and love itself is always innocent, regardless of the circumstances."

After several weeks, I was sitting in my office, taking a break silently with my eyes closed and the lights off. Then I heard footsteps and they stopped in front of the door. I recognized Alston Malfoy's voice: "Vin, you know that we are almost at war. Professor Slytherin talked about it, the Knights are going to search for witches and wizards, and they will find the school sooner or later. "

There was silence, I didn't move or make a sound, not wanting to interrupt, knowing they must think that I was not in the office, for Alston continued, "Have you ever thought about the possibility of us getting killed in the war? "

"Stop being so pessimistic, Al. At least our younger brothers and my sister would be safe. Albert is not old enough to fight yet and I'm sure Professor Slytherin will take good care of him. Even if both of us will have to face the Death, why should we be so sad? I mean, everyone has to die sooner or later, that's just what people do. We are all mortals after all. Dying when fighting for the safety of our loved ones will at least be honourable…"

"But I'm scared, Vin. I'm so scared…" I heard Alston whispering, his voice trembling.

"Yes, I know. " Vincent answered, "So am I. "

There was silence. I was going to open the door, but I wasn't sure what they were doing. So I pushed the door a little bit and looked through the crack.

Alston and Vincent were kissing each other. Their eyes were closed, and I was sure that I saw a tear rolling down on Alston's face. I backed up quickly, and closed the door again as silently as I could. It was their privacy, I had no right to peek at them and I would never judge them.

It wasn't until then that I realized death wasn't terrifying at all. **The most terrifying thing was solitude. The most terrifying thing was dying alone.**

* * *

-o.O.o-

The war started. It actually had started long time ago. One day Hogwarts Castle was suddenly surrounded by an army of Knights from the churches. They took us by surprise and we immediately fought back. However, we were too busy keeping our students and the school safe that we ignored the bigger threat. When I heard that the Knights' reinforcements were marching towards us, they had already reached the hill not so far away from Hogwarts. I knew it was extremely important to stop them from joining our attackers, but I couldn't just go away because we needed many people to fight. Then two of my students, Alston Malfoy and Vincent Prince, volunteered to go there instead and gather information for us. The boys had already grown up and they were dependable and trustworthy young adults. I wanted to reject their offer, but they had gone without giving me the chance. And I realized that the only thing I could do at that time was waiting for them to come back. Watching them walking away from the school in the darkness, their steps firm and steady, that question Alston Malfoy had once asked me came to my mind again.

Was love a weakness? Of course it could be. Not all the love stories would have a living-happily-ever-after ending. In contrast, most kinds of relationships contained lies, pain, and loss. So why were people so passionate and eager to love and be loved? There could be lies, but there could also be unbreakable trust; there could be pain, but there could also be great happiness; there could be loss, but there could also be joyful redemption. Loving someone needed a person to take the risk, but it would be a risk worth taking. What was the point of living if all a person could feel was bland happiness without even knowing what he was so happy about? It was those different emotions that made us _human_ ; it was those pain and melancholy that made us _alive_.

I was standing there, watching them walking towards their unknown fates, together. I knew that no matter what would happen, they would not have any regrets about their love. And that was enough.

* * *

-o.O.o-

When I saw the green signal sent by Alston and Vincent, my heart sank. It was even worse than what I had expected. Something must have gone terribly wrong with their plan and they were now being chased. There was no time to waste and I quickly sent off the same signal as a reply. I ran as fast as I could, trying to get to the meeting place in time. We had an agreement that if they were in danger, the mission would be immediately abandoned and they would meet me on that hill. Cursing, I wished that some spell with transportation function had been invented.

It was dark and windy outside. The clouds were gathering for a storm and I could hear thunders snarling. The white light coming from my wand was shining weakly and I was slowly running out of breath. But I kept moving regardless of my body condition. All I could think about was that my students were in great danger and they needed my help. There was a stream in front of me, I was about to wade across when I noticed the unusual white vapour above the water.

 _The Holy Water!_ **Those damned bastards poured the Holy Water into the river!**

The ominous feeling made me shiver. Alston and Vincent would have to go across the river in order to get to the meeting place… It was dark and they were trying to escape, and if they didn't notice the Holy Water in the river… Oh, no. I cried inwardly, my heart was pounding faster and faster. **No… Not them! Not my students again!**

And what I hated the most happened to me for the second time.

* * *

-o.O.o-

 **No.**

I was standing on the cliff, facing the dark abyss. The slope was so steep and smooth that no one could ever survive a fall into the deep chasm. My mind was blank.

 **No. Not them, not Alston and Vincent…**

The trail of footsteps ended here, on the cliff. And there were no footsteps going back. I found Aston's wand near the cliff, put behind a rock in order to keep it unseen. I remembered the joyful and excited look on his face when he got his own wand, and I knew that he would never have left his wand behind. So there was only one possibility left.

 **NO.**

I closed my eyes, and I could see how everything had ended. I could see Alston and Vincent; I could see the cheering and shouting Knights waving torches and getting closer and closer; I could see the young men holding hands, their fingers crossed, standing on the cliff and facing the abyss like I was; I could see them bid each other a farewell and I could even see their faces, a little terrified but determined at the same time. And I could see them jump and fall. Their figures swallowed by the giant mouth in the darkness.

A burst of lighting torn the cold inky sky apart, igniting the night and painting everything pale. I uttered the charm invented by myself and developed by Vincent Prince. The green words shone in the dark, flowing out from the tip of the wand. And as the last of remaining magical power was drained from the wand, the Oak-wood stick turned to black dust in my hand. They must have put the message in the wand before escaping and crossing that river with Holy Water in it. And at the last minutes, they had still been trying to deliver this piece of extremely important information to me. They had not chosen to be killed in a horrible way by the Knights like criminals. Instead, they had chosen to end their own lives bravely, together, without thinking twice.

 _Death wasn't terrifying at all. The most terrifying thing was solitude. The most terrifying thing was dying alone._

It had been too late. I had been too late. I looked down at the crimson blood under my feet. Killing all the Knights who were after Alston and Vincent didn't make me feel any better. It could not bring them back to me, and those two young lives were gone forever. I was burning with wrath and sorrow, the madness running in my veins and the desire of revenge taking over my mind. I blamed myself, but this time, I had the Knights to experience my rage.

"Alston Malfoy, Vincent Prince, you were the best students of mine and I am so proud of you…"

I couldn't finish the sentence because my throat was dry. I had never been so furious before. The hatred was screaming inside of my body, making me a monster I had been before meeting Godric. I was the most infamous and dangerous wizard according to the Knights, and I thought it was time for me to act like one. The deaths of Alston and Vincent made me give up hiding from who I was.

 **"I promise you, I will make them suffer. I will make them pay the price, one by one. "**

I stood on the crimson cliff. I was Salazar Slytherin, and I would revenge my students, **by all means and at all costs.**

* * *

-o.O.o-

 _The winter was coming, sighing and snowing heavily,_

 _And in the white meadow were four living trees._

 _They stretched out their arms under the mighty strain,_

 _The trees grew together, fighting and protecting._

 _But the wind was so strong and mighty, blowing madly,_

 _And the small trees could not survive the tease._

 _Two little trees faced it and were brutally slain._

 _The trees grew together, their children not breathing._

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **Here is one more chapter, and this is an important turning point in the plot. After the deaths of his favourite students, Salazar would not let anything hold him back anymore. So don't be surprised if he acts like a heartless monster in the next chapters… Just kidding, he won't act like a heartless monster; he will be very, very human. And the story is almost at its end, two more chapters and one epilogue to go. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please add your reviews! Thanks to those who reviewed for the story already and feel free to add some more** **!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Warning:** Implied violence, terrible scenes, really dark part of Salazar Slytherin's personality, deaths of original characters.

* * *

 **Chapter 6: The Evening**

-o.O.o-

 _The tree with a broken heart fought back desperately,_

 _And his branches were torn, he was going to freeze._

 _With the last drop of his blood painting a red stain,_

 _The tree died in the battle, his body still standing._

* * *

-o.O.o-

I was awake at night, unable to fall asleep, staring at the ceiling and its indifferent blankness. The unbearable rage was reaching out to me and it was filling my body, yet I still felt so hollow and empty, like everything in the world was meaningless and pointless. Everything was fading away into the darkness, which swallowed whatever it saw. My pieces of memory were flowing away from me into deep holes, and filling them with melancholy. Meanwhile, my soul was left behind, drained, tired, giving up. I would revenge my students, but what then? What would be left for me after more blood was spilled? Alston and Vincent were gone forever, and they would be haunting me like the shadows of my past forever. Every time I went to bed, I couldn't stop blaming myself for not being there to save their lives. Maybe that was not my fault after all, but I could still see their faces, floating in the air, pale like ghosts. I knew that I would not be able to just let everything go and pretend that I didn't care, because I did care about them, I cared too much. They had been my first students and I had gradually become a fatherly figure to them rather than a professor. That was also why their deaths would hang upon me for the rest of my life, whether I was responsible or not. I could often hear their voices, echoing in my mind, calling out to me with fear and despair. The past would not be forgotten so easily. You might think that you could move on and simply stop being affected by it, but it was never gone. It was still there, always there, inside of your soul. It was just buried deep by time, with your regrets, pain and finally indifference on top of it. However, one day it would come back – it would always come back for you, and you could never really escape, because there was nowhere for you to go.

* * *

-o.O.o-

How could I tell Albert about Alston's death? I spent so much time wondering about this question, but every way I had come up seemed so cruel and painful for that boy, and equally painful for me. As for Vincent's family, I decided not to tell them anything at all. For one thing, it would be dangerous to contact the family in any magical way and that would ruin Vincent's effort to protect them from being accused or prosecuted. Also, according to Vincent, his family thought that he had been long dead. However, Albert had every right in the world to know about the truth, and I would not hide it from him. I could never forget the look on Albert's face when he heard the grievous news. I could never forget the sudden panic, loss and helplessness in his grey eyes. I knew that Albert had had ominous feelings about it though, he was always the sensitive one, and he had been so anxious after Alston's departure. They had been twin brothers and they had always been with each other, and now Albert was left alone. I couldn't imagine how he was feeling at that time, but I was not feeling any better. The pain, the loss, the emptiness, and the desire to revenge… I couldn't get used to those feelings; no one would be able to.

One thing had been bugging me for quite a while. When we had constructed Hogwarts, we had made sure that the castle was invisible to muggles and was hard enough to find. However, the Knights seemed to locate our school very easily and they started the attack right away without further checking. I knew that there must be something wrong since it was impossible for them to just happen to find us. Considering the muggle-born students missing before the battle, I understood something suddenly, and it made my blood froze. The word TRAITORS was screaming in an ice-cold tone and I felt my face hardened. I was still not sure, but I saw the possibility of their betrayal, and it was both disappointing and expected at the same time. I even felt triumphant finding out yet another proof of the unreliability of muggle-born students, it was mean and unjust, but it made the monster inside of me feel better. I was again proven right, accepting them was like accepting sick people into our territory. Maybe they had no ill intentions or evil attempts when they came to us, but the disease carried by them was spreading all over among us nevertheless. As a result, it was we who suffered, and they were actually immune to the harm that could never be undone. I would admit that I hated them for the disease then, and that prejudice never really disappeared since the fact was they were always somehow related to or directly responsible for my students' deaths. I knew it wasn't fair for some innocent and kind-hearted muggle-born students, but I couldn't help showing my resentment. I simply wasn't able to like them, and I wish I had been able to.

* * *

-o.O.o-

And then I could feel the bloodlust in me. Alston and Vincent had chosen to end their lives, and the Knights were the direct cause of their choice. Their deaths made me furious, so angry that I knew I must find something to destroy, someone to kill, or I would surely go insane. I needed a target so desperately, and the Knights made an excellent one. The regrets and sorrows were too heavy to bear, so I chose to turn everything into simple hatred, hatred towards the murderers who had killed my students. It was burning like fire in my body, and I wouldn't be able to relax until the terribly strong feeling was eased. The emotions running through my mind were dangerous and blind, but I couldn't think about reasons anymore in that state of mind. I didn't know who I had become. I didn't know what I had become, nor did I know what I was becoming. But one thing was for sure, there was something awakening inside of me. It was so much more monstrous, cold and ruthless, but so much more powerful at the same time. I had chained that monster with reasoning and calmness before, but now everything was breaking apart and I could feel it breaking free in my sudden rage, snarling for its final victory. Godric, Rowena and Helga tried to comfort me, of course they did. But no one could understand the feeling of losing someone so important in their lives unless he had experienced exactly the same thing. Therefore, their comforting words sounded vain and useless and were not successful at making me calm down. Also, the message in Alston's wand which they died trying to protect stated that the reinforcements had a large quality of Holy water. I couldn't risk letting the army surrounding Hogwarts get their Holy Water, or we would not stand a chance of winning this battle. That was why I gave up fighting my rage, that was why I set my demon free, and that was why I went out in that evening, alone.

The reinforcements were still staying on the hills, celebrating their temporary victory in exterminating two young wizards, perhaps. I was enraged merely by this simple thought, and I sped up. The wind was blowing near my ears, my cloak rustling and my fingers holding the wand tightly. Suddenly I knew what I was going to do and how exactly I was going to do it. One of my ancestors had invented an extremely dangerous magic spell, and that had been recorded in a book which I had read a hundred times before. There was a spell that would use up almost half of my magical power. It required a great sacrifice, but it was powerful and destructive just as I needed it to be. The enemies were not that close to Hogwarts now so no harm would be done to my school. That spell was obviously considered one of the darkest forbidden magic spells, therefore it could serve my purpose just well. For my only purpose then was to destroy everything and everyone guilty for Alston and Vincent's deaths.

Before realizing it myself, I was standing on a huge grey rock, looking down at the tents and campfires. The blazes were burning brightly under the darkening sky. I looked up to see the whirling grey clouds which suggested an upcoming storm. I saw the Knights sitting around, laughing and chanting. I could have hit them with a sneak-attack right away, but I didn't. It wasn't for any noble causes, but for my students. I realized that I wanted to see their faces in pain, I wanted to see them suffering and dying horribly. My own thoughts terrified me, but I convinced myself that I was no saint and I should not feel disturbed, for this would be what they deserved.

So I pulled out my wand, and sent a green burst of light up in the sky. It opened up like a flower and the sparks of green fell like shooting stars. I made it bright enough that I was sure every one of the Knights could see it. Some Knights looked up at the signal-like light, confused and alarmed. Quickly they started to gather, which was exactly what I had anticipated. And finally someone saw me. Pointing his finger at my direction, he shouted out loudly to his friends and they turned their heads to face me. I looked down at them, didn't even bother to hide my scorn and hatred. I was too far away for them to use the Holy Water, and I was temporarily safe and untouchable. I stood there, alone, facing the army made up by more than one hundred men, and yet I was not even slightly scared. I guessed that I was too angry to be frightened.

* * *

-o.O.o-

A Knight stepped out of the crowd; I assumed that he was the leader of them. He shouted something like "Welcome to our non-magical world, wizard. Did you finally decide to surrender?", and laughed as if it had been funny. I wasn't amused. He asked me what my purpose was in a relaxing way, thinking that I wasn't much of a threat to them. His easy expression remained until I declaimed that my only purpose was to see them all dead.

"You definitely do not have the ability to fight all of us alone," He looked a little uncertain though, his face stiffened and his body tensed.

"You think so? That's because you don't know who I am and what I am capable of,"I snorted, amazed by how cold my voice could be, "That doesn't matter, for you will find that out for yourselves soon enough. You killed my students, and now you must pay the price."

"Hang on, speaking of students… I take it that you care for your precious magical children very much, and we will be able to have a more proper conversation," After the Knight nearby whispered something to him, the leader went pale. By his looks, I supposed that he finally learnt who I was and what I would do. He then waved his men and seemed to dismiss some of them. I tilted my head in confusion, but nearly sprang to my feet when the Knights came back again, this time with five trembling students. I narrowed my eyes at the muggle-borns who had disappeared completely right before Hogwarts was attacked and were never seen since then. I studied their faces, they were perfectly healthy, though a little scared. I spied no signs of torturing and it confirmed my thought. They were not prisoners; they went out of Hogwarts willingly and ran to their muggle saviours. They must have told them as much information as possible, including the location of Hogwarts. They might have done those things because they had felt insecure in the castle, or worse – they could have been spies all along, placed in our home and prying for everything that was considered not their business.

"Adela, George, Mary, Paul and Jim," I called out their names one by one, my expression blank and my voice ice-cold.

They looked at me and immediately winced, averting their eyes. Their fear finally took over as Adela plead, "Professor Slytherin, please understand… We were just too afraid in the castle and we ran to the only people we could turn to-"

"Who happened to be our enemies, I see, how convincing."I said sarcastically, "Next are you going to say that they forced you to speak the truth? Save your breath, because I don't think you were forced in any way."

"So what do you say? Don't move or your students will be dead, you know how this works," The leader said, unaware of the abnormal atmosphere between us. I actually laughed, and now they seemed more terrified, beginning to realize that my hatred was towards them as well. Paul and Mary started screaming, "Please, Professor! We all made mistakes and we are so sorry for our offence to the school. But they are going to use us as hostages, please save us!"

I stared down at their pale faces, I saw their fear and despair, but I was only disgusted. How could they expect me to save their precious lives after admitting they had actually fled and betrayed Hogwarts willingly for their own benefits? If they had not been accepted in the first place, Hogwarts would probably not even be under attack! How could Godric, Rowena and Helga accept them as their students? They were all cowards with no sense of loyalty, they were all foolish enough to depend on my rescue, and they were not kind in any way since they murdered my students indirectly.

* * *

-o.O.o-

"Step off the rock, don't do anything stupid, or I will cut their throats,"The Knight seemed to realize his mistake as well, but he didn't give up trying.

"Kill them if you insist, I don't care," I said coldly, "They are all going to die in a minute anyway, I would actually appreciate it if you save me the trouble."

I wasn't lying. There was only one way I could defeat them at once, and my only chance was using that spell. However, the power of dark magic would kill everyone except me in a large area, which means the students had to die with the Knights. It was the only way I could protect Hogwarts, It was the only way I could destroy the Holy Water they held. Without that spell, I didn't think I could stop them from crushing into Hogwarts with Holy Water in their hands. There were still so many students, fighting as hard as they could in the castle. And among them was Albert Malfoy, a boy I must protect at all costs. It was either the five traitors or all the students and professors in Hogwarts. By sparing five lives, I would be endangering Hogwarts and more than one hundred lives, and I would never let that happen.

"No-no you can't!" Adela screamed, the last trace of blood drained from her cheeks, her face twisted in horror, "No, Professor, you can't! Please forgive us, we will never do this again, please give us another chance!"

I looked at her, and I didn't see her face. I saw Alston and Vincent's figures instead. I saw them falling and falling like birds without wings, falling into the death. And I saw their faces, terrified but determined. I saw their eyes shining. They had known they would die protecting the ones they loved, and they had chosen their fate bravely without hesitation.

"I had two students, they were far better people than you are, and they were killed," I said slowly, wanting to let them hear every word clearly, "They were fighting for an honourable cause, and they didn't get their second chances. So why in the world should I give the second chances to you? You are not even innocents. You are all guilty, and you all took part in murdering them by giving away everything only for your own happiness."

The spell was ready. The Knights were already approaching, climbing up on the rock and they would be able to pour Holy Water on me in a minute. There was no time to waste.

I looked into the five young adults' eyes, _"I'm sorry."_

But was I sorry? Maybe I was a heartless monster after all; maybe I wasn't even sorry for killing them. However, I could not explain the pain exploding in my chest. My heart was still pounding loudly, it was not yet petrified. And the pain was intolerable.

In the end, I was still a selfish man. I always had been, and I always would be selfish. I tried to convince myself that they didn't deserve to live, Alston and Vincent had deserved to. But I knew well that I had no right to play God or judge their lives. I was beginning to feel like myself again, so ashamed, so struggling and filled with guilt. But I didn't need to be myself at that moment, I needed to be something else, something ruthless enough to do what had to be done.

 **And I let my monster out, completely.**

I was ready to be a murderer, I was already one. I was always ready to go to Hell, if hell actually existed, that was. I would be damned, I would be guilty, I would be condemned for my ruthlessness, but while releasing the beast in my heart, I did not care.

The black flames were swallowing everything, and everyone screamed. The sounds of agony only lasted for a few seconds, and the blood painted the ground crimson.

 ** _"I promise you, I will make them suffer. I will make them pay the price, one by one. "_**

 **I was Salazar Slytherin, and I would revenge my students, by all means and at all costs.**

-o.O.o-

I stumbled, my power and my life energy slowly drained from me. The madness was gone, the demon was finally satisfied. I thought I would enjoy my victory, at least a little bit, for I did have defeated the reinforcements, I did have destroyed the Holy Water, and I did have protected Hogwarts. But I did not feel relived, or justified, or proud. All I felt was tiredness. I was tired like an old man, tired of myself and everything I had done. I looked down at my hands; they were blood-stained, trembling. I realized that I took no pleasure in taking lives, I hated it. But still, I didn't regret making that decision, even if I had to live with what I had done for the rest of my life. Now there would be more ghosts haunting me at night. I knew I would see their terrified faces and hear their screams again and again, and I would never escape from the torture. Adela, George, Mary, Paul and Jim… They would never let me go, and I deserved that as a punishment.

 **They were not innocent. And I was not any less guilty than them. They were not honourable. And I was ashamed as well.**

* * *

-o.O.o-

 _The tree with a broken heart fought back desperately,_

 _And his branches were torn, he was going to freeze._

 _With the last drop of his blood painting a red stain,_

 _The tree died in the battle, his body still standing._

 _The spring was coming, waking and smiling joyfully,_

 _And in the green meadow were four standing trees._

 _The old, dead tree's silent hope would still remain,_

 _The buds on his branches were opening and smiling._

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **This is even darker than I meant it to be. I'm not so good at English, but I hope that I made my point clear and you could understand the way Salazar was thinking and acting. Salazar Slytherin is not a heartless character in this story. He is the opposite, very emotional actually. That's why his conscience keeps torturing him and he is always struggling. He does what needs to be done, but he never forgives himself for doing it. Anyway, hope you like the way this story goes. If not, I'm really sorry to upset you. Again, please review to help me improve my writing! I would appreciate your reviews very much, and thank you for reading my story!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Warning: violence, character death.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: The Midnight**

-o.O.o-

 _Years after years, time flies impatiently and quickly,_

 _And in the colourful meadow were three changing trees._

 _Leaves grew on the dead tree's feet again and again,_

 _While the healthy perfect trees couldn't help withering._

* * *

-o.O.o-

When I returned to Hogwarts in my blood-stained robe, feeling worn out and empty, I was greeted by Godric's stone-cold face.

"You killed them." Godric said, with such disbelief, terror and then hatred in his eyes when I didn't even try to justify my actions. His words stabbed into my heart like the most pointed knives, running in my veins like poison. But I was too tired to argue, what could I say? His allegation was nothing but the truth, and I couldn't have defended myself anyway. Indeed I had killed them all, everyone, and I would not lie. I didn't even know how had Godric got that information, or who exactly had he been referring to by using "them", and I didn't even care. I didn't stare at Rowena and Helga's horrified and stunned faces, and I didn't pay any attention to the accusation in their eyes. For my mind was completely blank at that time, I could not think about anything clearly anymore as everything inside me was screaming. And I was too weary and fatigued, all of my strength was gradually drained from my body and I could barely support myself. And then I realized that I was not just physically bone-tired – I was mentally exhausted. It felt like my soul was frozen and dead just like Alston and Vincent whom I had failed to save, like those five students and the Knights I had killed. I didn't have any power left and I had never been so weak and broken in my life. Everything was dark and cold: my one-time friends' faces, the corridors which seemed so much longer than I had remembered and the castle… Everything was pointless, and nothing had any meaning to me anymore.

They were all eyeing me with disgust, suspicions and hatred. They didn't say anything out loud, but I could hear their thoughts. "Why did you do it? How could you be so ruthless and cruel? How could you kill our students in cold blood?" Those voices were echoing near my ears, covering any other sounds with endless condemnations and accusations. They didn't know those were the exact questions I was asking myself again and again, yet I knew the answers clearly. I knew what I had done, and I had done everything when knowing clearly what the consequences would be. I had made a decision, and that was one I didn't regret making even now. If I had got another chance to go back in time and face those five students and the Knights again, I would still have used that same spell. I would still have done the same thing, because it was the best option I had, because it was the only way to me. The suffering souls were crying out in despair, their skeleton-like hands reaching to my ankles and trying to drag me down with them into that pit of darkness. But I was too tired, and I felt so old that I couldn't even resist or fight back. I simply walked to my room, my steps trembling and echoing on the ground, all those gazes from people who had trusted me weighed me down and I couldn't hold my head high with pride anymore.

* * *

-o.O.o-

As soon as I reached my bed, I collapsed immediately and lost my consciousness. The dark magic demanded sacrifice and I offered half of my magical power willingly, and I couldn't help but fainted. At least I could feel safe in my room where no one else could enter without my personal permission. I had never let anyone into this room, not even Godric. Maybe I had never really trusted them after all. Maybe I had known that one day, like this day, they would never see me as a friend again, but as that terrible monster I chose to release. I was agonized in my nightmares that night. All of them came to me, and that was no surprise for I had been expecting them. All of them were reminding me again and again, of what I had become and what I had done.

I sinned. I was a murderer. And I didn't ask for their forgiveness. I simply stood there, letting them pull me into the fire of hell without crying or struggling. I would never ask for their forgiveness, for I knew they would never forgive me.

I should have realized something was wrong before letting Alston and Vincent leave the castle alone. I should have gone with them to protect them, or maybe I should have forced them to stay behind in the first place. I should have gone after them much quicker than I did and I could have saved them… But I failed to save my favourite students from the Knights. Albert had lost his twin brother, and Vincent's family would never see him again. The blond boy and the dark-haired boy had had such a beautiful relationship. There had been true love between them, and now it was buried in the bottom of that abyss. The small trees never had the chance to flourish, they had been cut down when they were too young, and they would never grow up. There would be no green leaves waving from their stretching branches, there would be no birds nesting and singing in their embraces, and there would be no flowers smiling, no fruits dropping from their arms. They had been cut down, lying lifelessly on the soil, dead.

When I had had the choices in front of me, I had chosen to kill those five muggle-born students along with all the Knights in order to destroy the reinforcements and their Holy Water supplies which could endanger the school and bring many casualties. I could tell myself that they had been traitors; they had left our side and had given us away to our enemies, which was absolutely true. I could tell myself that it had been the right decision and I had saved more lives by killing five students who had not been innocent and who had indirectly caused Alston and Vincent's deaths. I could tell myself that it had been worth it, that the Holy Water would no more be a big threat, that the reinforcements had been defeated in one night. But I couldn't forget their faces. I couldn't forget the scared and terrifies expressions on their faces when they had begged me to spare their lives, when they had pleaded for me to give them second chances. But I had not given them any chances at all. I had been too furious and blind with hatred to even listen to them. And finally I could not deceive myself any longer. No matter how many excuses I could make, that would never change the crime I had committed. I was a murderer, and I didn't deserve anyone's forgiveness.

I would never ask for their forgiveness, for I knew they would never forgive me, for I would not dare to, **for I would never be able to forgive myself.**

* * *

-o.O.o-

The next day, I left Hogwarts without being noticed in the dawn.

I didn't argue with Godric, Rowena or Helga. I didn't even try to convince them that I only did what had to be done. I didn't try to give myself excuses or explain what had happened. For what good would an explanation have done? What had happened was unchangeable, frozen in the past and locked in time. An explanation would probably at least gain me some understanding, but it was not understanding that I wanted. I wanted to escape from there because I couldn't face them, because I couldn't face the monster in my heart. When I parted, there were no farewells spoken, no goodbye-letters left and no words exchanged. I simply vanished from the school I had helped to build, the school I loved so much. Before leaving, I left Albert with my locket that had every protective magical spell I could think of on it. That boy would be safe, he had to be. I promised Alston to look after his brother, and I could not bear to lose another student of mine again. I cast a spell on my portrait in my secret chamber, that it would have all my memories after my death. I had been teaching my portrait how to act like me, think like me and speak like me all my life, and I wanted to leave it in my school, the home I had thought that I could always return. I was not even sure what for, but I guessed that I didn't really want to be forgotten entirely. I didn't really want to leave no trace at all in Hogwarts, because the school had become a part of me.

I had nowhere to go, nowhere to turn. But I still got something to do, something far more important than simply hiding away and living a quiet life. I still had my responsibilities to Hogwarts and to the remaining students in it. I was no longer qualified as a professor since I failed to protect my own students, but I could still fight for the school. I collected all kinds of information and started attacking the Knights from shadows, but I never returned to Hogwarts again. The guilt, the shame and the loss were too much for me, and I was never brave enough to face the pain. It was drowning me like sea water. I was struggling to reach the surface, suffocated, gasping for air. But there was no land, no shore, and no light house. There was only endless water, dark and icy like the colour of the sky, with roaring and rumbling waves and screaming winds.

I couldn't imagine how people reacted at my disappearance, but it didn't matter to me anymore. Still, I couldn't help but wondered what Godric, Rowena and Helga were thinking at that time. What would they think of me? Were they regarding me as a running fugitive, a murderer and a heartless monster? Did they still hate me for killing the muggle-born students they were so fond of? Were they looking for me? A small voice made me aware that I wished they were. Even if probably they would only want to find me to revenge their students, I would still be happy that they had not erased my very existence from their lives completely. That was what I feared the most: to cease to exist in other people's eyes. I was on my own again, like I used to be before encountering Godric. But this time it felt different. It was so much more painful to be alone. It was so much more difficult to feel that indifference feeling I had developed after a few years of loneliness. Yet I understood that it was what I deserved and I slowly accepted the situation.

The battle with the Knights lasted much longer than I thought it would be. I could not see an end of it; I could not see that light shining at the end of the dark, twisted tunnel. I concealed my identity once again, knowing that Salazar Slytherin had died that day while looking at the void of the abyss. And the last trail of him had died after his hands were stained with the five students' blood. I would never be able to become Salazar Slytherin again. There was a hole in my soul, and there was a monster living in that hole, no longer chained, and no longer restrained. There would be nobody to stop the devil now. I had become the monster, and there was no turning back.

However, I thought that I could still be useful in the battle. I learnt that rumours had been spread, and the Knights were all aware of the presence of Salazar Slytherin – an extremely dangerous dark wizard who had killed around a hundred men at one time in cold blood. But I heard nothing from Hogwarts, which was actually a good thing. I fought off several forces of Knights, but was careful to remain undiscovered and unknown. I was able to protect Hogwarts in my own way, until that day when I had left Hogwarts for a few months.

On that day, I received a letter from Godric Gryffindor.

I was so shocked to see that thin paper, my hands were trembling when an owl dropped it in front of me. It was absolutely not faked – I knew Godric's special hand writing and there was also the stamp that could only be found in Hogwarts. The letter was rather simple like a note, with one single sentence that suggested I meet him at a place not very far from the castle. Suddenly it filled me with new hope and excitement, but also horror and anxiety. What would Godric do once he saw me? Of course he would be mad at me, and he had every right to be. But perhaps, just perhaps, there was still a chance that we could talk to each other like in the good old time… It was stupid and reckless of me to have such hope within my heart, but I couldn't suppress my feelings. I was overwhelmed by that note, but I made my decision nevertheless. I would go to that place at the time given in the note, and after seeing Godric for one last time, I would not bother them again. This time, I would apologize, and maybe we could bid each other a proper farewell. This time, maybe we could make everything better…

 _ **And I was wrong.**_

* * *

-o.O.o-

I was waiting under the tree, pacing around restlessly. The time we were supposed to meet had already past and I was worried that something might have gone wrong. What if something had happened to Godric? What if he had been captured by the Knights on his way, and what if he had been injured?

It began to rain, and I was too distracted by Godric's absent that I didn't notice the fact that there was no clouds dark and thick enough in the sky at once. After I had relized that something was not right about those raindrops, it was already too late.

There was no rain. **It was the Holy Water.** There was no meeting with Godric here – Godric would never come here. **It was a trap, and I was tricked.** I had been too eager about the invitation that I had been blind to see the truth. Those Knights knew me too well; they knew that I would have never suspected a trap. They knew that my trust towards Godric was too strong for me to doubt.

Dark figures emerged from behind the trees, and I was surrounded quickly. There was nothing to be done, my magical power was fading inside of my body and I could feel it. I spotted at least fifty Knights and I was no match for them without magic power.

This was the end of me, and I could feel it. My instinct was screaming and I knew everything was hopeless, and nobody would come to help me. Nobody would. The blond man with dark-green eyes had come to me and had stood by my side once, but I destroyed our friendship, **and I would never see him again. I would never see Hogwarts again.**

 **I closed my eyes.**

* * *

-o.O.o-

 ** _One Minute_**

"He sold you out, wizard. Your faithful friend betrayed you, all of them did. We captured some of the students they had sent out to look for food and we had our hostages. Of course we wanted revenge, you should have known that, right? Salazar Slytherin. You are too smart, and you must know that you have this coming because you killed my men. "

 _He was right. I knew that all the debts must be paid one day. And blood shall have blood. I knew that I had lost their trust; I knew that Godric, Rowena and Helga saw me as a monster now. It was too optimistic of me to hope otherwise._

 ** _Fourty Seconds_**

"When we asked him to write that letter to you, of course he did. And his other two lady friends were by his side. He knew that there would be a trap waiting for you, he knew that you would come to us willingly after seeing his words and he knew that we would kill you. But he wrote that note anyway because he just couldn't wait to save his precious students' lives. Of course, there were those ladies' beloved students in our hands too. "

 _They were absolutely right in doing that. Of course, this was only what I deserved. I was a murderer and why should Godric care about me anymore since I left the school? I ran and left them all in that misery I had caused. Of course it was reasonable for them to hate me and it was only wise to use my life to save some children with more promising futures._

 _ **Twenty Seconds**_

"That guy was sure that you would come, he told us that you wouldn't be so cautious when it was his hand writing. We promised to release the students once we have you, and we did fulfill what we promised. What difference will it make? We will storm that stupid school soon enough anyway and everyone in there will die. "

 _I winced. They were planning an attack at Hogwarts, and I would not be able to do anything to warn them. I was prepared to die – for I had nothing left now. But they deserved to live…_

 ** _Five_**

My attempt to make them keep talking had worked. But it wouldn't last too long. The Knight had taken out a sword.

 _ **Four**_

 **There was no hope, there was nothing left.**

 _ **Three**_

Godric, Rowena and Helga were no longer willing to see me again. They wished me dead.

 _ **Two**_

I saw those souls; they were shouting in joy that they would finally succeed. I would be joining them soon, and I would be tortured by them eternally.

 _ **One**_

 **Death wasn't terrifying at all. The most terrifying thing was solitude. The most terrifying thing was dying alone.**

 _ **Zero**_

I was chained to the cross and couldn't move an inch. I saw the sword thrusting into my body with the sound of whispering wind; I saw the silver blade shining in the darkness and the ruby burning on the hilt; I saw my blood blooming in the air and dropping to the floor. The time seemed to stop at that second and everything was silent. And then there was the pain. It was tearing my heart apart and biting my nerves like a hungry beast. My vision began to blur and I heard that man talking, his words unclear.

"What a shame, Salazar Slytherin… Such a great and powerful wizard like you still can't escape the end of a mortal man. One's life is like a play, and your play is ending. It has been a tragedy, because you lost everything. You opened your heart to your friends and trusted them completely, so you were not invincible anymore. "

I knew what he said was the truth. I had lost all the things that had been important to me in my life. The stage curtains were going to close and the audience was already gone. I was the only actor left, and I was going to die, ALONE.

 **I had lost.**

 **I had lost _everything_ , I had lost _everyone_.**

 _But not yet, not just yet, I had one last duty, and it had to be done._

My lips moved, and all my life force left was converted to something darker, something more powerful, and the black flames exploded once again.

The Knights screamed, they didn't know that I had learnt to calculate the time and had found out the only weakness of the Holy Water. It could drain a wizard or a witch's magical power, **temporarily**. And I had bought myself just enough time to prepare that dark magic spell.

I smiled a smile of victory, a mockery to the Death and the Knights who had wanted to defeat me without paying the price. They had killed my students, I was not a merciful person and I had never forgotten what they had done.

 _ **"I promise you, I will make them suffer. I will make them pay the price, one by one. "**_

 _ **They were not innocent. And I was not any less guilty than them. They were not honourable. And I was ashamed as well.**_

I revenged my students, at last. And I would die in peace, knowing that there would be no more threats on Hogwarts, knowing that all of them would be safe now and the battle had ended. But why was I so sad? Why couldn't I stop the shiny liquid running down from my eyes? Maybe Salazar Slytherin was still within me after all; maybe I had not become a monster completely. _I knew that because my heart was in such pain, and if I had been a heartless man, it would not have hurt like this._

 **I had lost _everything_. I had lost _everyone_.**

 **The most terrifying thing was solitude. The most terrifying thing was dying alone.**

The darkness finally devoured the light, and I closed my eyes.

* * *

-o.O.o-

 _The summer was coming, dancing enthusiastically._

 _And in a green meadow were many flowering trees._

 _They sang hymns to the dead trees in the pouring rain,_

 _The trees grew together, what a wonderful happy ending._

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **There would be en Epilogue coming, and then the story would be finished. It is a really dark and sad story, and now it doesn't explain some of the stuff in the original books. But in the epilogue, more things will make sense. Thank you for reading my story, and please, please review! : )**


	9. Chapter 9

**Epilogue: The Dawn**

 **Disclaimers:** again, I do not own anything in Harry Potter books.

 **Warning:** if you are hoping to see a happy – or at least bitter-sweet ending to the story in this epilogue, please stop reading right now. Unfortunately, there is no pleasant ending of Salazar Slytherin's past here, for it already happened and it will not be changed. There are regrets, shame, and pain in his story, and they will not just vanish – this is a tragedy after all.

* * *

-o.O.o-

"So, that was how everything began, how everything developed and how everything ended. That was the story of my life. It didn't end very well, as you must have noticed," Salazar Slytherin finally finished telling his story. The wizard who was sitting in the portrait looked at Harry, pain and loss were visible on his face. Sighing heavily, he closed his dark-red eyes, looking tired and exhausted. It seemed that recounting the long tale used up all his energy and he had no strength left.

Harry blinked. He simply sat there, frozen in his armchair, dumbfounded. After hearing what he had longed to know, after discovering the old secrets from the distant past, he supposed that he should have a lot of questions to ask. But instead, he found none. He was speechless. After looking into the gap in the history books, he had imagined for numerous times about what the truth was, but he had never thought it would be something like this.

He had been listening to Salazar Slytherin's life experience - for how long? He couldn't really tell. Since the second he had woken in this chamber, he had lost the track of time. He was so concentrated on the recounting that he didn't even feel the time flying by. It was indeed a long tale – the friendship, the school, the students; the loyalty, the betrayal, the regrets; the truths, the lies, the misunderstanding… In the end, everything vanished into the darkness of despair and the eternal loneliness. He had finally learnt that the history had not been as simple and wonderful as he had thought. There was a long-lasting war, the never-ending terror, the violence and deaths in the Founders' world. His view of his House founder was also changed greatly after hearing the incidents Salazar Slytherin had gone through. So that was why Slytherin had left Hogwarts. His students had been killed and he had done something considered terrible out of that sudden rage and desperation, which made it impossible for him to forgive himself. There had been arguments over the topic of muggle-born students between him and the other Founders indeed, but the reason of his hatred towards those students seemed quite valid and logical, and his actions seemed very understandable. Harry was so shocked to receive all those pieces of memory together that at that time, he did not know what to think. The complex and mixed feelings were so strong and confusing. Everything made sense now, yet at the same time nothing made any sense anymore. He felt at a loss.

"I tried to warn you, Harry Potter,"Salazar said quietly, his breaths deep and his voice weak and hoarse again. "I warned you that you might regret hearing the truth. But still, you don't have to believe me even now. If you want to feel better, simply see me as a lying impostor and forget everything you have heard. It's really that simple for people to ignore the truth. Isn't that what people always do, ignoring the truth and coming up with different versions of deceptions? You have no reason to believe in me anyway."

Did he regret this? Harry asked himself. The scenes and facts Salazar had described and stated were powerful enough for him to feel uncomfortable just by hearing it. He could not deny that he had not expected the history to be so dark and painful. However, the answer came immediately without any hesitation. _No, he didn't regret anything._ But there was still something bugging him and he had to be sure…

"Professor Slytherin, there is a statue outside of this chamber. May I ask whose that was?"

"You mean that one near the entrance of this room?" Salazar frowned, trying to recall that piece of information. "Oh, yeah, that had belonged to my father, and I had put it there just because it seemed the most appropriate place in the whole castle really… Why did you ask?"

Oh Merlin. Harry felt extremely stupid and embarrassed right now, his face twisted a little bit, flushing in a light-pink colour. So that monkey-like figure had never been Salazar Slytherin in the first place? Okay, that explained why this portrait didn't look the same as that stone face outside, though there were still some similarities in their appearances. He remembered Tom Riddle talking to that statue, referring to the sculpture as Salazar Slytherin, and he couldn't resist the urge to sigh.

"Nothing, I was just… curious," Harry decided that he'd better not tell Salazar that people had been mistaken his father for him all along, not really wanting to make him feel worse. He gave another attempt to change the subject, "How about your portrait hanging in that school hallway then? How many magical portraits did you have?"

Raising his eyebrow, Salazar stared at Harry blankly with an incomprehensible expression on his face, looking rather confused, "This painting was the only magical portrait – or portrait in general – I had in my life."

"Oh," That was everything Harry could manage to say. He was actually flushing now, and he could feel the warmness on his cheek. This was awkward. Looked like that statue was not even the only thing people had falsely recognized as Salazar Slytherin and it seemed that they also had held wrong impressions of the Founder of Slytherin House all along. "We… we always assumed that it was yours."

"If that person in the portrait looks middle-aged, or older, that's definitely not me since I died looking exactly like this. I was killed not long after leaving Hogwarts. You did find the signature S.S. on the painting, didn't you?" Salazar rubbed his temple with his left hand, seemed troubled by a headache.

"Yes, and that was why we thought it belonged to you in the first place-"

"Of course you did," Salazar let out a sigh again, "My uncle Salem Slytherin had a special zeal for artwork and was always passionate about making portraits… I can imagine that after my departure Godric would want to find someone else to fill my gap. And of course he would hang my uncle's portrait along with theirs… He would not be able to find mine, and he wouldn't want to anyway, not after what I had done…"

Salazar's gaze became unfocused again, staring into the void of the past Harry could never see. There was such melancholy in his eyes that he looked even more real, sadder, and more human. Observing Salazar in wonder, Harry could see the shame and regrets in his eyes. Who would have imagined that one of the greatest wizards in history would still feel guilty and ashamed like any other man? Suddenly Harry realized that he was feeling very sorry for the Founder of Slytherin House, and he felt the need of explaining something.

"They didn't tell anyone about it, Professor. Now we only know that you had left Hogwarts after arguing with other Founders about the acceptance of muggle-born students, nothing more."

"They didn't do that for my sake, Mister Potter, " Salazar smiled sadly, the melancholy on his face now was replaced by bitterness, "What else could they have done, if not concealing everything? Could they tell the students that I had fled because of the guilt I felt about killing five students who had been held hostages? Could they tell them that they had given me away and had saved their schoolmates in exchange? Could they tell them that one of the former professors in Hogwarts was a merciless, dangerous and heartless murderer? It is never hard for people to lie. The most difficult thing is telling the truth all the time. And why should anyone be honest when the truth would only hurt and the lies would make everything better?"

Harry shut his mouth closed. The silence fell like a wall between them and Salazar looked away, "My apologies, Mr. Potter. Why was I shouting at you? None of it was your fault, of course. You couldn't possibly understand, you are so young and this is already too much for you."

Harry swallowed nervously, hesitating about if it was the right time to ask more questions. He took a deep breath, gathering his courage.

 _"Did you hate them?"_

Salazar's body stiffened. He froze, "Pardon?"

"Did you hate them? I mean… Did you hate them for giving you away to the Knights?"

"No. I never hated any of them. I hated the Knights, I hated Charles Wright, I hated myself… But Godric, Rowena and Helga…I would never hate them. Yes, I felt betrayed when I was chained to the cross, I felt betrayed when that muggle told me that they had chosen to let me die, and I felt betrayed when the Knight stabbed me with that sword… But I didn't blame them because I deserved it. I had myself to blame," Salazar shook his head slightly. And then he started to cough, his body shaking violently.

"Professor!"

"My power is fading. The magic power put into this portrait only managed to last for hundreds of years because I was asleep until you came into this room. It will not last for very long," Salazar looked extremely calm. "That's the point of this secret chamber, to leave a trace of me inside of this castle, to leave a part of me in the world… But now it does not matter anymore. I don't even know why I started talking to you, maybe I was alone for too long… Now it's time for everything to end, and I have nothing left in this world that will make me linger here. But before everything disappears, I would like to ask you one last question, Harry Potter. I don't mind others lying, but Just for this once, I hope you can answer me honestly."

 **"Was I a good man?"**

* * *

Harry's body went rigid, he looked up and their eyes met. There was only tiredness left in Salazar's eyes.

Was Salazar Slytherin a good man?

He was a man with great magical ability, for sure. But after everything he had done, could Salazar Slytherin be considered as a good man? He had killed many people, he had been cold and distant towards the muggle-born students, he had not been a really patient or kind teacher. According to his narrative, Salazar Slytherin had had many flaws, and had made many mistakes which could never be undone.

However, there was no one in the world who could live without flaws and making mistakes. After hearing Salazar's story, Harry no longer saw him as an inapproachable figure, but a man, a man who had lived, had laughed and wept and fought and struggled and suffered and died. A man who was real, who really existed, who was no longer just some sentences from the history textbook or some lyrics from the Sorting Hat's singing. He heard the entire story, and he could understand everything Salazar Slytherin had done. Salazar Slytherin had always tried to protect people he loved, and he had never betrayed any of them. He had always loved Hogwarts and had always protected it at all costs. His shame and guilt had only been proofs of the humanity and kindness in his heart. He had been so **human** , even if he had not realized it himself. He deserved all the respects and reverence people could give.

His thoughts flew apart once again, and he remembered Severus Snape, another man from the Slytherin House. And he remembered how Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy had called out for their son in the battlefield, how Regulus Black had sacrificed himself. Then he wondered why bravery and great courage were considered traits of only Gryffindors. He could not express his feeling with words right now, but he knew there was something, some traits very important in the House created by Salazar Slytherin. He could sense that from the Founder, especially.

 **"I can't judge you, Professor, "** Harry said sincerely after a while, "The line between 'good' and 'not good' is too thin, and I do not have the right to judge you either. However, personally… In my opinion, you were a good man, and perhaps _one of the greatest and most honourable men in the magical world_."

Salazar simply stared at him, motionless. And then he smiled. It was the first time Harry saw real happiness on his face.

" _Thank you._ That…was everything I needed,"Salazar closed his eyes. Harry wondered why his voice was trembling.

"Before you take your leave, Mister Potter… **Would you do me one last favour**?"

* * *

-o.O.o-

Salazar looked at the dark-haired boy with green eyes, knowing that the boy would do as he had asked and his secret would be safe with the teen. He didn't even know why he trusted the boy so much. Maybe this boy reminded him of someone, someone he had always trusted, someone with the same curiosity and courage in the emerald eyes…

He realized now what a fool he had been – he didn't need a portrait to leave something in the world in order to proof his existence. Hogwarts would be here, and he would always be part of Hogwarts, just like the school he had built and loved would always be a part of him.

He was once again lost in the river of memory, the memory of the past... And suddenly he could see them, all of them: _Godric was laughing happily by his side; Rowena and Helga were waving at them, standing in the sunlight; Alston Malfoy and Vincent Prince turned to call him "Professor" with joy in their voices, and Albert Malfoy was sitting behind his brother, giving him a timid grin…_

 _And now they were all gone. And now he was left alone in the world._ Then why should he stay here any longer?

 **"Harry Potter, value everything you now have in your life – value the people you now have in your life."**

 ** _'Don't lose them. Don't lose them like I had lost everyone I had loved.'_ ** He meant to say. But he knew the boy could understand his words now so he didn't have the need to explain any further..

The room was shaking, and everything started to break down. Harry hurried to the door as Salazar had said, and opened it easily with the password he had been told. Before leaving the chamber, he turned around to have one last look at one of the Hogwarts Founders.

Salazar had closed his eyes. As the magical power left on the portrait was slowly drained, he was becoming still and motionless. **However, Harry could swear that he saw a drop of shiny liquid rolling down on Salazar Slytherin's face.** Then the colours, lines and shadows in the painting froze like they would in a muggle portrait, and never moved again.

* * *

-o.O.o-

Harry stood in front of the door of the Chamber of Secrets, putting his hand on the cold, hard stone.

He could still feel the darkness waiting to devour its preys, could still see the dim dark-green colour lying silently, and could still hear the never-ending sound of water dripping. But he was not afraid anymore. He had learnt the secrets, had solved the mysteries, and had understood many things.

Salazar had given him one last mission. The Founder of Slytherin House had asked him to seal the Chamber of Secrets forever, so that it would never be opened again. Indeed, there was nothing left in it now. The snake-shaped symbol on the foot of that statue of Salazar's father was now only a pattern. Salazar also had asked Harry to keep the tale he had heard to himself. All the pain and loss, truths and lies, mysteries and darkness would be buried here, deeply underground, with the past no one else would ever know.

Harry knew clearly why Salazar had made this decision. As he had said, he had never belonged to Harry's era. **The dead should remain in their times, forever.**

But he would never be able to forget what he had heard in the Chamber of Secrets. **He would always remember.** He would remember Salazar Slytherin, remember his happiness and pain, remember his love and suffering, remember his life and death. _**He would forget nothing.**_

He kept his hand on the door, whispering one word in parseltongue, which he had just learnt from Salazar. He didn't know why Salazar Slytherin had chosen this word as the lock to close the chamber eternally when building this place, but he would never have another chance to ask.

 _ **"Tragedy. "**_

The door made a clicking sound, and everything was silent again. Harry turned around; gripping the rope which he had tied to something in the washroom, he climbed up. The white ray of sunshine was guiding him, like a lighthouse in the sea, like the moon in the pitch-black night. He kept climbing, away from the darkness of buried past, into the beautiful present and the yet-to-come future, into the light.

* * *

 **O.o- Fin -o.O**

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **This is the end of the story, and a prequel or a sequel is clearly not needed… I wasn't lying when I said there was no happy ending. I hope you enjoyed reading and thank you for reading my story. My English is still bad but I hope I will be better at it after practicing. Please review and tell me what you think. Your reviews will be greatly appreciated.**

* * *

 **Thanks to _Ben, 9069253, Soumita, Flavia Jackson, Shetan20 and all the Guests_ for reviewing** **! Your reviews helped me a lot. Thank you again for reading and supporting my story! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

Thank you for supporting me and reading my story, everyone! I just want to inform you that this story is participating in a fan fiction writing contest, and I hope that you can go to that website and vote for my story if you like it! Your support will be greatly appreciated and this is the first time I'm joining any fiction writing contest so it will be just for fun! Please go to inkitt .com [slash]stories[slash]42316 if you are interested.

* * *

Also, here is the complete poem The Tree in the story. This is also part of my work.

* * *

 **The Tree**

The summer was coming, dancing enthusiastically.

And in a green meadow were two flowering trees.

Bathed in sunshine and showered in the rain,

The trees grew together without even meeting.

Storms made them turn, encountering accidentally,

And their branches tangled together in strong breeze.

When the morning sun rose and eased the pain,

The trees grew together and started flourishing.

The autumn was coming, singing songs delightedly,

And in the green meadow were four abundant trees.

Days after days farmers were collecting their grain,

The trees grew together, their ripe fruits dropping.

Their seeds rested in the soil, sleeping soundly,

And in the next spring they would grow with ease.

But the winter would come with his self-centred vain,

The trees grew together, started their preparing.

The spring was coming, waking and smiling joyfully,

And in a green meadow were four blooming trees.

In their shadows were the seeds ready and fain,

The trees grew together, their children sprouting.

The small trees were beaming, thriving vigorously,

And the four trees protected them from the disease.

Dark clouds were gathering and they loved to feign.

The trees grew together ere the tempest was raging.

The storm was howling, snarling and crying furiously,

And in the dark meadow were several small trees.

One tree drained nutrition from another one's vein,

The trees grew together and a young life was dying.

The clouds were whispering, darkening rapidly,

And the blood-red gale made the trees wheeze.

One burst of wind broke the small trunk in twain,

The trees grew together, sadly they were mourning.

The winter was coming, sighing and snowing heavily,

And in the white meadow were four living trees.

They stretched out their arms under the mighty strain,

The trees grew together, fighting and protecting.

But the wind was so strong and mighty, blowing madly,

And the small trees could not survive the tease.

Two little trees faced it and were brutally slain.

The trees grew together, their children not breathing.

The tree with a broken heart fought back desperately,

And his branches were torn, he was going to freeze.

With the last drop of his blood painting a red stain,

The tree died in the battle, his body still standing.

The spring was coming, waking and smiling joyfully,

And in the green meadow were four standing trees.

The old, dead tree's silent hope would still remain,

The buds on his branches were opening and smiling.

Years after years, time flies impatiently and quickly,

And in the colourful meadow were three changing trees.

Leaves grew on the dead tree's feet again and again,

While the healthy perfect trees couldn't help withering.

The summer was coming, dancing enthusiastically.

And in a green meadow were many flowering trees.

They sang hymns to the dead trees in the pouring rain,

The trees grew together, what a wonderful happy ending.

* * *

THANK YOU!


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